A little over a month after the 2025 NCAA women’s gymnastics season came to an end, the offseason is in full swing – and so is transfer season.
As with other sports and the introduction of the transfer portal, offseason moves by notable names have ticked up in recent years. In 2025, the list of talent looking for a new home is significant and includes names such as eMjae Frazier, Madison Ulrich, Morgan Price, and more.
The question on everyone’s mind is: where are they going? While not all of the gymnasts in the portal have made a decision yet, many of the biggest names have nailed down a new home.
Keep reading to find out where the top transfers of the NCAA women’s gymnastics offseason are heading. Plus, we take a look at the biggest names still on the board.
eMjae Frazier: California to Florida
Arguably the No. 1 transfer of the 2025 offseason, eMjae Frazier was rumored to be transferring to Florida soon after she announced that she would be graduating early from UC Berkeley and looking to utilize her final year of eligibility elsewhere. On May 12, Cal co-head coaches Justin Howell and Elisabeth Crandall-Howell were poached by Clemson. Frazier announced her commitment to Florida on May 27.
In her three seasons at Cal, Frazier was one of the team’s top all-arounders. In 2024, she competed the all-around in every meet – a total of 17 times – and broke the NCAA’s all-time single season scoring record (673.0625), ultimately leading Cal to a national runner-up finish. She also became the first Bear to score a perfect 10 on two different events (floor and beam). In 2025, she was once again a key all-arounder for the team, competing all four events at all 15 meets.
When asked what’s one thing she’s most excited about competing for Florida, Frazier told Gymnastics Now, “It’s so hard to pick one thing! Between the girls, coaches, and fans, I’m stuck! … Buttt if I had to pick one thing, I would say the environment! To compete in front of 10,000 fans, have the support from the whole community and all sports, full circle moment with girls I’ve grown up with and was on teams with from Parkettes, level 8/9/10, TOPs, and national team, and have coaches that want to help accomplish your goals and let you be you and do you is what I’m looking forward to! I can’t wait to compete in that environment with all of these amazing people and their support! I know the feeling will be surreal!”
Madison Ulrich: Denver to LSU
One of the more interesting transfers this year is Madison Ulrich. The Denver sophomore was transparent with her transfer journey, sharing photos from her visits to LSU, Utah, and Oklahoma, but keeping fans on their toes as she didn’t yet announce a commitment. On May 23, Ulrich shared she would be making the move to the bayou and joining the 2024 national champions.
A five-star recruit out of high school, Ulrich was highly-touted when she joined the Pioneers and quickly made an impact. Right out of the gate, she won a share of the vault title in her collegiate debut, and she would go on to compete all four events in all of Denver’s 2024 and 2025 meets. Ulrich has been near-perfect on bars and floor with career highs of 9.975 and 9.950, respectively.
“One of the many things that has me excited to compete for LSU is the culture of respect and balance they have embedded within their program,” Ulrich told GN. “The way they truly value and care for each individual in such a genuine way while also challenging each other to grow and improve is something I am super excited to be a part of. I believe this team has huge potential and am ready to contribute to that success in any way I can. I’ve always wondered what it would be like to compete in the PMAC and can’t wait to find out with this incredible group of people by my side!”
Morgan Price: Fisk to Arkansas
It was unclear how Corrinne Tarver’ssudden departure from Fisk in February would impact the program, but the Bulldogs seemed to just keep rolling under interim head coach Nuriya Mack. Shortly before Tarver left, team star Morgan Price made headlines by becoming the first HBCU and Fisk gymnast to score a perfect 10, achieving perfection on bars. One of the inaugural members of the Fisk team, which became the first HBCU gymnastics program in 2023, Price won the USAG all-around title in 2024 and defended her title in 2025 while also sweeping the event titles.
Price announced she would be transferring on May 6, but eagle-eyed fans spotted her likely landing spot quickly: Arkansas to join her sister Frankie Price. Sure enough, just eight days later on May 14, the Razorbacks and Price jointly announced her signing.
“I’m excited to compete at Arkansas because I will have the opportunity to join forces with my sister, Frankie, as we both compete in our last year!” Price told GN. “I also have the chance to be developed by an Olympian, Coach Jordyn Wieber, who has always shown interest since I first kicked off my recruiting journey.”
On May 12, the vault, beam, and floor star announced that she had entered the transfer portal and would be making the move from repping the purple reign to purple and gold. Innes is entering her senior year and will be on a full scholarship with the Tigers.
In her time with the Huskies, Innes became a stronghold for the team, competing vault and floor during her freshman season (2023) before adding beam in 2024. She would tie for the regional floor title with a career-high 9.950 in 2024 before the Huskies were eliminated from the NCAA tournament. In 2025, Innes put up season highs of 9.825 on vault, 9.900 on beam, and 9.925 on floor.
“One thing that has me really excited to compete at LSU is the incredible energy and pride that surrounds the program!!!” Innes told GN.
Naya Howard: Georgia to Michigan State
After three seasons with the Georgia Bulldogs competing primarily vault, bars, and beam, Naya Howard announced on April 12 that she would be transferring. This came shortly after Howard announced that “due to unforeseen circumstances” she would not be competing at regionals with her team. On May 24, Howard shared on her Instagram story that she would be transferring to Michigan State – “For those still wondering…I BLEED GREEN NOW!!!! GO GREEN” In her official announcement post, Howard said, “I’ve learned that ‘trust the process’ doesn’t apply when the process is flawed. Thankfully, I’ve been given a second chance! I’m thrilled to share that I’ll be transferring to MSU on a full ride!”
Howard was recruited under former Georgia head coach Courtney Kupets Carter before Cecile Canqueteau-Landi and Ryan Robertstook over as co-head coaches after the 2024 season. While at Georgia, Howard notched career highs of 9.925 on vault and bars, 9.900 on beam and floor, and 39.475 in the all-around.
“One thing that has me excited is that I am competing in a positive atmosphere and with people who are ready to win and hungry to win!” Howard told GN. “And I’m so excited to help contribute to the team to help accomplish that goal!”
Natalie Martin: Maryland to Ohio State
After two seasons competing vault, beam, and floor for Maryland, Natalie Martin is heading home to Ohio to compete for the Buckeyes. The 2022 Ohio state champion on floor has been a key contributor for the Terps over the past two seasons, hitting career highs of 9.925 on vault, 9.950 on beam, and 9.900 on floor.
“I’m SO excited to announce that I’ll be finishing out my last two years of eligibility at The Ohio State University!” Martin said in her commitment announcement. “I’m incredibly thankful for this amazing opportunity and beyond excited to join such an incredible program. I can’t wait to be a part of something so special. Go Bucks!!”
Dakota Essenpries: Arkansas to Missouri
After two seasons at Arkansas, Dakota Essenpries is also heading home to compete for the Missouri Tigers. Essenpries was born in Adrian, Missouri, and her dad graduated from Mizzou. A vault specialist, Essenpries has focused on the event for both of her seasons with the Razorbacks. In 2025, she was a cornerstone of the vault lineup, competing the event at every meet. She averaged a 9.813 and had a high of 9.900, which she achieved under pressure at regionals.
“I’m super excited to be back in my home state, competing for the team that I grew up cheering for!” Essenpries told GN. “My dad went to Mizzou, so I’ve always been a Tiger fan, and I can’t wait to be back in black and gold! Also, seeing how great they did last year, I’m super excited to build on that and hopefully continue breaking records!”
Madison Gustitus: San Jose State to Arkansas
Madison Gustitus is jumping across the country to join Arkansas after just one season with San Jose State. The former Legacy Elite gymnast made an immediate impact in California, contributing on bars, beam, and floor throughout the season. Gustitus was the most consistent beam worker for the Spartans, averaging a 9.795. She earned a 9.800 or higher on nine occasions, including a high of 9.875 three times and tying for the Mountain West beam title.
“One thing that really excites me about competing at Arkansas is getting to be a part of such a competitive and passionate program,” Gustitus told GN. “The team atmosphere seems super supportive and driven, and I’m really looking forward to pushing myself alongside such talented athletes and experienced coaching staff. Also, the SEC has such an exhilarating vibe with the energy of fans and high level of competition. I can’t wait to experience that energy and be a part of it!”
Emma Wehry: West Virginia to Auburn
After sitting out the 2025 season due to injury, Emma Wehry will make the move from West Virginia to Auburn. Wehry has competed on all four events in college, focusing on vault and beam primarily. She’s hit career highs of 9.900 on vault and beam and 9.875 on bars and competed in the all-around once in 2024.
“I am excited about so many things, but if I would have to pick one, it would be competing for a school with so much support for the gymnastics program and such a strong fan base,” Wehry told GN. “The environment in Neville Arena seems unmatched, so I am very excited to compete there and have the opportunity to be a part of such a supported program.”
Faye Rodio: Alabama to Towson
Another young transfer on the move, Faye Rodio didn’t get any reps under her belt while competing for Alabama in her freshman season, but the two-time North Carolina Level 10 state team champion is eager to make the move to Maryland and join the Towson Tigers, who will no doubt benefit from her vaulting prowess.
“I think the fun but driven atmosphere of the team is one of the things I’m most excited about!” Rodio said. “Everyone is hungry and fired up to bring home some hardware this season, and I can’t wait to be a part of that determination.”
The jury is still out: Where will these top transfers land for the 2026 season?
Some of the top names still in the portal include UCLA’s Paige Anastasi, Minnesota’s Kendall Landry, Bowling Green’s Brooke McNamara, and Missouri’s Kylie Minard, to name a few. Anastasi is arguably the best talent still available. The vault standout also has great potential on floor but didn’t quite find her stride at UCLA after competing for Brestyan’s Gymnastics in her club days.
Five of the top 10 teams in the HERO Sports Group of Five Top 25 media poll lost last week. Arguably the most surprising was Tulane, which was ranked second, losing to UTSA by 22 points.
But the No. 1 program remained the same, as Memphis is still at the top of this week’s Group of Five Top 25 media poll. Members of nationally-focused media outlets as well as at least one team beat reporter from every G5 conference is involved.
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Penn State athletic director Pat Kraft is heading into his fourth week in a national search for Penn State Football’s next head coach. Kraft has been casting a wide net in his search, showing interest in current head coaches, current coordinators, and former head coaches turned media personalities.
One of the most intriguing candidates that kept coming up in the process is former Ohio State and Florida head coach and current Fox Sports media personality, Urban Meyer.
As of last week, Kellyanne Stitts of On3 Sports reported that Meyer does not have a “desire” to return to coaching.
However, on Saturday, Kevin Borba of Athlon Sports reported that Meyer did pursue the Penn State job, before being turned down by Pat Kraft for an interesting reason.
There could be mutual interest between Urban Meyer and Penn State Football. (Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images)
Despite being out of college football since 2018 and not coaching since 2021, Urban Meyer’s name has continuously been brought up each offseason because of his impressive career accomplishments.
Meyer is one of the most accomplished coaches in the history of the sport, with three national championships between two teams and the third-best winning percentage in college football history over his 17-year career. Meyer holds a 187-32 career record (.854 winning percentage) with coaching stops at Bowling Green, Utah, Florida, and Ohio State.
Urban Meyer Reportedly Spoke to Penn State About Head Coaching Vacancy
Penn State Football most recently saw Meyer during his stint at Ohio State, where he won over 90 percent of his games, including the 2014 national championship and six wins over the Nittany Lions.
As reported by Borba, on his Zach Gelb show on Audacy, Gelb reported that Meyer had “strong interest” in the Penn State job opening.
“I’m not going to crush Urban Meyer for lying when he says ‘Hey, I don’t have any interest in coaching again,’” Gelb said. “But I’ve talked to two sources and two sources told me that Urban Meyer had a great interest level in becoming the next head football coach at Penn State.”
According to Gelb, the conversations between Meyer and Penn State hit a major snag, though.
“The reasons why those talks did break down is when they got to the topic of NIL,” Gelb explained. “Which Urban Meyer has never been a head coach during the NIL era. His plan and his answers in terms of navigating those Name Image, and Likeness waters were not viewed as satisfactory enough.”
Gelb’s reporting matches the overall theme of what Pat Kraft focused on during his initial press conference regarding Penn State’s opening.
How Penn State’s Coaching Search is Taking Shape
Kraft noted in early October after James Franklin was fired that he was looking for Penn State’s next coach “to be able to maximize elite resources, attack the transfer portal, and develop at the highest level.”
Kraft is looking for a coach who can take Penn State to an elite level through the use of the new NIL and transfer portal rules.
Penn State Athletic Director Pat Kraft is leading an expansive search for the Nittany Lions’ next head coach.
With Urban Meyer’s last stint in college coaching being before the new NIL rules, this was always a question about how well Meyer could adapt to the changing landscape of college football.
From Gelb’s reporting, it seems as though Pat Kraft was not satisfied with Meyer’s ability to adapt to this new landscape.
In his On3 interview, Meyer did name a candidate to throw his weight behind in Penn State’s coaching search. Meyer told Kellyanne Stitts during his interview that Ohio State offensive coordinator Brian Hartline is ready to be a head coach.
“I’m a big Brian Hartline fan,” Meyer noted. ‘Always have been, and he just needed the experience (as an OC).”
Hartline remains one of the top candidates on Penn State’s board as the search for James Franklin’s successor continues.
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Robert Shields covers Penn State Football for Nittany Central. As a Penn State graduate, Robert has covered Penn State football since 2019, but had been a fan of the Nittany Lions for well over a decade. During his undergraduate education, Robert was a manager in the athletic department of a division III school, working in various aspects of athletic management at football, soccer, baseball, basketball, and lacrosse games.
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Alabama went 28-9 overall with a 12-3 record at home during the 2024-25 season. The Crimson Tide averaged 90.7 points per game last season, 18.1 from the free-throw line and 31.5 from beyond the arc.
North Dakota finished 6-12 in Summit League play and 2-12 on the road a season ago. The Fightin’ Hawks averaged 77.3 points per game last season, 14.6 from the free-throw line and 24.6 from 3-point range.
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Auburn football became the 13th college program to let go of its head coach this year, as Hugh Freeze was let go by the university Sunday afternoon.
The Tigers are also the fourth SEC school with a head coaching vacancy, joining Arkansas, Florida and LSU.
Currently, 12 schools have head coaching vacancies after Kent State promoted interim coach Mark Carney to head coach on Oct. 30 following Kenni Burns’ dismissal after two seasons.
With the many candidates surrounding one of the most chaotic coaching carousels in recent memory, here’s how AL.com ranks all the current openings and where Auburn sits amongst it all.
LSU
LSU let go of former coach Brian Kelly Sunday, Oct. 26 after the Tigers 49-24 blowout loss to Texas A&M the day before.
LSU’s three previous head coaches before Kelly all won national championships (Nick Saban, Les Miles and Ed Orgeron), putting this program at the top when it comes to A-list Power 5 jobs.
With LSU also moving on from Athletic director Scott Woodward, getting both hires right will be pivotal for the state of Louisiana.
Florida
For the fifth time since Urban Meyer retired in 2010, Florida is hiring a new head football coach.
Things never came together under former coach Billy Napier, as he finished with a final record of 22-23 in Gainesville.
Names such as Lane Kiffin and Marcus Freeman are already linked to this program coaching search, indicating the high value placed on this opening.
Penn State
After James Franklin’s tenure of 11-plus years at Penn State came to an end, no coaching job around the country was safe.
Although things fell apart quickly for Franklin, Penn State made significant investments in facilities and NIL to maintain its competitive edge over other programs.
With early targets like Indiana’s Curt Cignetti and Nebraska’s Matt Rhule signing contract extensions, Penn State is a program that’ll still aim high.
Auburn
Former Auburn coach Hugh Freeze blew his second chance coaching in the SEC after failing to restore Auburn as a championship winning program.
With Auburn being a program set up to compete in the NIL/portal era, this opening is just as competitive as the other SEC openings.
After Freeze finished his tenure on the Plains 15-19, Auburn is ensuring its next hire is a guaranteed winner as the SEC enters its nine-game conference schedule era.
Arkansas
Sam Pittman ended the Razorbacks’ 20-game SEC losing streak in 2020 and won nine games in 2021. However, he was fired after six seasons when he failed to get over the seven-win hump in the last four years.
Bobby Petrino is the school’s most successful coach in recent history and is currently serving as interim coach for the Razorbacks.
Athletic director Hunter Yurachek, who landed John Calipari to coach the men’s basketball team, is expected to be aggressive in this current football hire.
Oklahoma State
Mike Gundy, who was the winningest coach in Oklahoma State history and led his alma mater to nine AP top-20 finishes between 2008 and 2021.
However, after a winless Big 12 campaign last season, Gundy’s era ended in 2025 following the team’s first home loss to Tulsa since 1951 and a 69-3 loss to Oregon the next week.
Now with the program in full reset mode, Oklahoma State has some definite pluses, including a history of winning in the Big-12.
UCLA
Former coach DeShaun Foster could not sustain the same success he had as the Bruins running back coach.
Even after signing transfer quarterback Nico Iamaleava, UCLA started the season losing to Utah, UNLV and New Mexico, ending Foster’s run at the helm.
This will be a key hire for UCLA, as they are still finding its identity in the Big Ten conference.
Virgina Tech
Brent Bry entered this season on the hot seat after the Hokies finished 6-6 in the last two years.
Virgina Tech started 2025 0-3 for the first time since 1987, leading to Bry’s exit.
With Athletics director Whit Babcock job not all the way safe either, it seems like Blacksburg, Virgina, is still shaking back from the post Frank Beamer era.
Stanford
Currently led by former NFL coach Frank Reich as its interim coach, Stanford is conducting a search for a replacement following the 2025 season.
As Andrew Luck sits as the team’s general manager, it’ll be no surprise if Stanford builds its staff up like an NFL one or just promotes Reich.
Oregon State
Trent Bray got the boot after leading the beavers to the worst start since 1991, starting the 2025 season 0-7.
Bray was promoted after Jonathan Smith left for Michigan State following the 2023 season.
UAB
The Trent Dilfer experiment failed tremendously at UAB after never coaching in college.
Dilfer was canned after UAB lost its third straight game, 53-33 at Florida Atlantic, to fall to 2-4 on the season. He finished with a 9-21 record in three seasons.
Colorado State
Jay Norvell came to Colorado State from Nevada, where he guided teams to four consecutive bowl appearances.
Colorado State has one winning season since 2017, which was 2024 where they went 8-5 and reached the Arizona Bowl.
Norvell was out after the Rams fell to 2-5, as he finished 18-26 in four seasons.
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